Medical Undergarment With Anterior Closure

ABSTRACT

A medical undergarment, including: a one-piece body comprising: a side panel having an attachment end; a front panel having an attachment area; a gusset, the gusset being configured to be positioned between the legs of a patient during use; and a loop located on an exterior surface of the one-piece body, wherein the attachment end of the side panel is configured to be attached to the attachment area of the front panel forming a closure on an anterior portion of the one-piece body. The attachment elements of the attachment end, or the attachment area, or both, are preferably gapped to provide a passage for a medical tube.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/047,468, filed Jul. 2, 2020.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a medical undergarment having a one-piece design and a bilateral anterior closure. More specifically, the present invention is a unisex medical undergarment that can be easily placed on and removed from a patient having limited mobility that facilitates access to the area between the legs and the securing of drainage tubes and/or catheters.

(2) Description of Related Art

Many patients need undergarments that allow for easy access to the perineal area and vaginal area following a medical procedure such as perineal reconstruction or gender affirming surgery. Such patients may require frequent monitoring of the surgical site for wound checks and dressing changes. There are other patients, for example those receiving radiation to the area between the legs for oncological treatment, that may also require frequent access to the area between the legs. Additionally, for a variety of patients, there may be a need for drainage bulbs, drainage tubes, catheters and/or other items to be used and secured following a procedure.

Another common patient need is to have a medical undergarment that can be easily put on and removed without having to lift the legs or lower extremities and guide them through an opening in the garment. Some patients have limited mobility that makes putting on and removing an undergarment difficult because it requires pulling the undergarment over the patient's lower limbs to put the undergarment on, and removal requires pulling the undergarment down over the lower limbs. Such patients may include geriatric patients or patients undergoing rehabilitation. This need for easy placement and removal of the medical undergarment is also shared by patients having spinal injuries or those who have undergone lower limb surgeries that requires the use of a leg brace or extremity cage.

The most common products in use today in these circumstances are surgical mesh panties. They are generally stretchy and light. However, they do not allow for easy access to the area between the legs and they still require a patient's legs to be brought through the leg openings. The surgical mesh panties known to the inventor are also not designed to operate in conjunction with the variety of drainage bulbs, drainage tubes and/or catheters that may be needed following a surgical or other procedure.

There remains a need, therefore, for a medical undergarment having a one-piece design and a bilateral anterior closure that can be easily placed on and removed from a patient having limited mobility to facilitate access to the area between the legs and to secure drainage bulbs, drainage tubes and/or catheters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention resides A medical undergarment adapted for fitment to a patient without requiring at least one of the patient's legs to be passed through closed leg holes, for medical access to the patient's groin area after fitment without pulling the medical undergarment down along the patient's legs during use, and for guiding a medical tube from the patient's groin area during use, comprising a one-piece body having a back panel, a first side panel having a first attachment end, a second side panel having a second attachment end, a front panel having first and second attachment areas that each has an overlapping arrangement with the first and second attachment ends, respectively, and a gusset between the back panel and the front panel configured to be positioned between the legs of the patient during use; a hook and loop element located on the attachment end of the first and second side panels; a hook and loop element located on the first and second attachment areas of the front panel; and at least one additional hook and loop element located on the first and second attachment ends of the side panels or on the first and second attachment areas of the front panel, the at least one additional hook and loop element gapped from the hook and loop element located on the first and second attachment ends of the side panels or on the first and second attachment areas of the front panel to define a passage therebetween for receipt and securement of the medical tube that is guided from the patient's groin area to a position external to the patient.

In yet another aspect, the medical undergarment further comprises a first pair of side panel hook and loop elements located on the first attachment end of the first side panel, the first pair of side panel hook and loop elements gapped from one another to define a passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient; a second pair of side panel hook and loop elements located on the second attachment end of the second side panel, the second pair of side panel hook and loop elements gapped from one another to define a passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient; a first pair of front panel hook and loop elements located on the first attachment area of the front panel, the first pair of front panel hook and loop elements gapped from one another to define a passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient; and a second pair of front panel hook and loop elements located on the second attachment area of the front panel, the second pair of front panel hook and loop elements gapped from one another to define a passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a medical undergarment 100 according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention which can be beneficially placed onto a patient without having to pass the patient's legs through closed leg openings, which provides easy access to a patient's groin area after being placed, and which includes at least one attachment loop 106 and at least one passage 114 for receipt and securement of medical tubes;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the medical undergarment 100 of FIG. 1 with the front panel 103 separated from a side panel 102 showing the preferred use of hook and loop fasteners 110, 112, and further showing how the passage 114 is defined between at least one of the fasteners 110 or 112;

FIG. 3 shows the medical undergarment 100 of FIG. 1 in an unfolded position and prior to being placed onto a patient;

FIGS. 4 to 7 show how the medical undergarment 100 may be placed on and fitted to a patient; and

FIG. 8 shows how a medical tube may be comfortably passed through the medical undergarment 100 worn by the patient using just passage 114 (e.g. a catheter), or using the attachment loop 106 in combination with the passage 114 (e.g. a drain tube and associated Jackson-Pratt drain bulb with a hanging tab used during post-operation recovery).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a medical undergarment 100 according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention which can be beneficially placed onto a patient (not shown) without having to pass the patient's legs through always-closed leg openings. The undergarment 100 is beneficially easy to place onto the patient, provides the patient with privacy, and provides easy access to a patient's groin area after being placed. The preferred undergarment includes at least one attachment loop 106 and at least one passage 114 for securement of medical tubes which are directed from the patient's groin area as required.

A medical undergarment 100 made in accordance with embodiments of the present invention is primarily intended for use with post-operative patients. It uniquely facilitates dressing changes and clinical examination of patients with less burden and pain to the patient. In particular, it is very easy to open or completely take off if desired, and then closed or put back on without too much patient repositioning. It facilitates efficient clinical rounds for doctors and facilitates repeated assessments by nurses who must repeatedly check on the patient and refresh wound dressings at a frequent rate (e.g. every few hours).

With standard post-operation underwear, e.g. mesh panties, the nurse must take off and put back on the underwear which is very difficult with a catheter or drain tubes in place. Nurses sometimes will literally cut off the mesh panties, but that of course requires that the mesh panties be completely replaced after the assessment has been completed. With the inventor's medical undergarment, by contrast, the nurse can easily open and close the undergarment without removing it from the patient and with little or no interference with tubes.

Nurses and doctors have commented that the inventors' medical undergarment allows them to easily look at a patient's incisions, noting that they can simply open the front panel to do so. Nurses and doctors have also noted that the routing of the drain tubes minimizes patient discomfort.

Patients also find the inventors' medical undergarment comfortable to put on and take off, noting that they do not have to move around as much as with prior art (e.g. mesh panties) which, they specifically note, you have to pull up when done.

With continued reference to FIG. 1, some aspects of embodiments of the present invention are directed towards a medical undergarment 100 having an anterior closure with a one-piece design. The preferred medical undergarment 100 of one-piece design has a back panel or rear portion 101 (best shown in FIG. 3.), bilateral side panels 102 or “wings” extending from the rear portion (one may work with less efficacy, but two is preferred), a gusset 104, and a front panel 103 that can be affixed to the side panels 102 to form adjustable leg openings 107 by using, as a non-limiting example, hook and loop fastener 110, 112 (aka Velcro®) to create an anterior closure for the undergarment 100. It is understood that it is within the scope of the present invention to have the front panel 103 include any suitable mechanism for fastening the side panels 102 to the front panel 103 that can be removed and replaced, such as, but not limited to, the following: adhesive closures; magnetic closures; and hook-and-loop closures (e.g. Velcro®). As further shown, the back panel 101 and front panel 102 each include an elasticated strip (not separately numbered) that combine to form an elastic waistband 108 that allows for adjustable fitment to a patient's waist.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the medical undergarment 100 of FIG. 1 with the front panel 103 separated from a side panel 102 showing the preferred use of hook and loop fasteners 110, 112 formed from spaced pairs of strips, and further showing how the passage 114 is defined between the spaced pair of strips of at least one of the fasteners 110 or 112. FIG. 3 shows the medical undergarment 100 of FIG. 1 in an unfolded position and prior to being placed onto a patient.

With continued reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, some embodiments of the present invention are directed to having the anterior closure include a plurality of hook and loop pads 112 that are positioned on interior surface of the front panel 103, and a plurality of hook and loop strips 110 that run laterally on an exterior surface of the side panels 102, with the front panel 103 folding over the side panels 102 in an overlapping fashion. The opposite arrangement could be provided as well, i.e. with fasteners 110 provided as strips on the exterior surface of the front panel 103 and with fasteners 112 provided as pads on the interior surface of the side panels, and with the side panels 102 folding over the front panel 103, but the prior arrangement is preferred so that the defined passage 114 inherently start from the side and open up near the patient's groin area.

Such an embodiment (strips and pads) enables greater flexibility regarding the sizing of the undergarment 100 both based on waist size and the size of the dressings needed between the legs. For example, if the wound area requires a significant amount of bulky dressings, the undergarment 100 can be fastened together with the hook and loop pads 112 of the front panel 103 affixed further laterally along the hook and loop strips 110 of the side panels 102 to accommodate the volume needed. The anterior closure also facilitates easy access to the area between the legs by allowing the front panel 103 to be quickly unfastened and moved out of the way. This is beneficial for patients that require frequent wound monitoring or dressing changes.

In the preferred embodiment, the fasteners 112 on the front panel 103 comprise the hook (rough) component and the strips 110 on the side panels 102 comprise the loop (soft) component of the hook and loop fastener pair. This allows the front panel 103's pads 112 to be adjusted laterally along the strips 110, and ensure that any exposed portion of the strips 110 are the soft loop component rather than the rough hook component. Additionally, for some alternative embodiments of the present invention, the risk of the hook (rough) component of the hook and loop fasteners coming into contact with the skin may be differently minimized by having the loop (soft) component located along the interior of the front panel 103, and the hook (rough) component located as strips 110 along the exterior surface of the attachment end of the side panels 102.

And, in the preferred embodiments, the hook pads 112 are sized to be more narrow (but have the same height) as the loop strips 110. Having the anterior closure include hook pads 112 located along the front panel 103 may provide for increased patient comfort by preventing the rough hook portion of the fastening system from contacting the patient's skin, which may be irritating or uncomfortable and may lead to the patient's skin being scratched or wounded. In some embodiments, the hook and loop fasteners 110, 112 may be rectangular in shape, with the strips 110 having an increased transverse width relative to the pads 112. The increased transverse width of the loop component (i.e., the strips 110) may also allow for increased width adjustment to the waistband.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 8, discussed further below, the Velcro strips 110 or other fastening structures are separated by a gap “G” having a width great enough to allow for the passage of a medical items such as a drainage tube and/or catheter. This is best shown in FIG. 2 which identifies the gap as “G.” The passage 114 formed by the gap G can be used for securing tubing to the patient and conveniently directing the tubing away from the front panel 103. This can be advantageous in that the tubing can be kept in a preferred position relative to the patient while allowing for the medical undergarment to remain in place. Also, securing of tubing using the passage 114 may reduce the risk of the drainage tubes or catheters being inadvertently pulled out during ambulation or turning a patient in bed.

The gap G between the Velcro strips 110, 112 may also be used in conjunction with an attachment loop 106 or plurality of attachment loops placed along the exterior of the undergarment 100 to allow for the placement and securing of multiple drainage tubes and/or catheters (see FIGS. 1 and 8). The attachment loops 106 may be preferably placed on the outward facing surface of the side panels 102. The attachment loops 106 may, in some embodiments, be positioned along the lower boundary of the waistband 108 and therefore allow for a drainage tube and/or catheter to be placed through the attachment loop 106 or affixed to the attachment loop 106 such that the tubing is securely directed away from the front panel 103 toward adjacent patient-support systems. Securing of tubing using at least one of the attachment loops 106 may reduce the risk of the drainage tubes or catheters being inadvertently pulled out during ambulation or turning a patient in bed.

Some aspects of embodiments of the present invention are directed to providing a medical undergarment 100 that can be easily removed and replaced on a patient having limited mobility or other restrictions on movement of the lower limbs.

FIGS. 4 to 7 show how the medical undergarment 100 may be placed onto a patient. Installation can begin by putting the patient on his side and rolling him onto the undergarment 100 shown in FIG. 4 or, if possible, by simply having the patient sit onto the undergarment 100 to achieve the same starting position. In either case, embodiments of the present invention including the one-piece design with the anterior closure along the front panel 103 are capable of being placed on a patient without having to move the patient's lower limbs through the closed leg-holes in the garment 100.

With an unconscious patient, for example, such placement can be achieved by “log-rolling” the patient following a surgical procedure onto the garment 100 and then folding up the front panel 103 into position for closure with the side panels 102. Once in place, the front panel 103 and side panels 102 can be easily opened and refastened to allow for convenient access to the area between the legs facilitating easier would care and dressing changes.

For ambulatory patients, the medical undergarment 100 may be worn without any assistance. By way of example, the medical undergarment 100 can be opened and place on a flat surface. A patient may then sit onto the medical undergarment 100 and secure the front panel 103 to the side panels 102. Additionally, the waist width of the undergarment 100 can be easily adjusted to maximize patient comfort without having to reorient the patient or reposition the undergarment 100. Similarly, wheelchair bound patients can also pivot transfer onto the opened garment on an adjacent flat surface. They can then fasten the undergarment 100 anteriorly without assistance.

FIG. 8 shows how a medical tube may be comfortably passed through the medical undergarment 100 worn by the patient using just passage 114 (e.g. a catheter tube), or using the attachment loop 106 in combination with the passage 114 (e.g. a drain tube and associated Jackson-Pratt drain bulb 40 commonly used during post-operation recovery). In the latter case the drain bulb 40 has a flexible strap or tab 41 that is hung from to the attachment loop 106 with any suitable connector 40 (e.g an ordinary safety pin).

Some embodiments of the present invention include an elastic waistband 108. This may allow for additional patient comfort during use of the medical undergarment 100 by providing increased stretch to accommodate movement by the patient. In some embodiments the elastic material included in the waistband 108 may be enveloped by the material used to create the side wings 102 and the front panel 103. This may improve patient comfort by placing a softer material against the patent's skin.

Some aspects of embodiments of the present invention are directed to use of a stretchable and washable material for the medical undergarments 100. Any suitable material may be used as would be known to those skilled in the art. For example, two-way stretchable cotton blend fabrics or synthetic fabrics may be used. Some embodiments may include breathable fabrics to provide additional patient comfort during use. It is also within the scope of the present invention that inexpensive materials may be used such that the medical undergarment may be intended to be disposable. Furthermore, more expensive durable fabrics may be used to provide a longer lasting garment designed for repeated use for those patients with a more long-term need.

Further details of some example embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described in the Appendix filed herewith, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A medical undergarment adapted for fitment to a patient without requiring at least one of the patient's legs to be passed through closed leg holes, for medical access to the patient's groin area after fitment without pulling the medical undergarment down along the patient's legs during use, and for guiding a medical tube from the patient's groin area during use, comprising: A one-piece body having a back panel, a first side panel having a first attachment end, a second side panel having a second attachment end, a front panel having first and second attachment areas that each has an overlapping arrangement with the first and second attachment ends, respectively, and a gusset between the back panel and the front panel configured to be positioned between the legs of the patient during use; a hook and loop element located on the attachment end of the first and second side panels; a hook and loop element located on the first and second attachment areas of the front panel; and at least one additional hook and loop element located on the first and second attachment ends of the side panels or on the first and second attachment areas of the front panel, the at least one additional hook and loop element gapped from the hook and loop element located on the first and second attachment ends of the side panels or on the first and second attachment areas of the front panel to define a passage therebetween for receipt and securement of the medical tube that is guided from the patient's groin area to a position external to the patient.
 2. The medical undergarment of claim 1 further comprising an attachment loop attached to the side panel, the attachment loop adapted to support a suction bulb attached thereto.
 3. The medical undergarment of claim 1 further comprising: a first pair of side panel hook and loop elements located on the first attachment end of the first side panel, the first pair of side panel hook and loop elements gapped from one another to define a passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient; a second pair of side panel hook and loop elements located on the second attachment end of the second side panel, the second pair of side panel hook and loop elements gapped from one another to define a passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient; a first pair of front panel hook and loop elements located on the first attachment area of the front panel, the first pair of front panel hook and loop elements gapped from one another to define a passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient; and a second pair of front panel hook and loop elements located on the second attachment area of the front panel, the second pair of front panel hook and loop elements gapped from one another to define a passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient.
 4. The medical undergarment of claim 1 wherein the first and second pair of side panel hook and loop elements are wider than the first and second pair of front panel hook and loop elements, the first and second pair of front panel hook and loop elements being variably positioned along a width of the first and second pair of side panel hook and loop elements, respectively, for adjustable fitment to a patient while maintaining the passage that is adapted for receipt and securement of a medical tube that is guided to patient's groin area from a position external to the patient.
 5. A medical undergarment, comprising: a one-piece body comprising: a side panel having an attachment end; a front panel having an attachment area; a gusset, the gusset being configured to be positioned between the legs of a patent during use; and a loop located on an exterior surface of the one-piece body, wherein the attachment end of the side panel is configured to be attached to the attachment area of the front panel forming a closure on an anterior portion of the one-piece body.
 6. The medical undergarment of claim 5, wherein: the attachment end of the side panel comprises a hook and loop pad.
 7. The medical undergarment of claim 6, wherein: the attachment area of the front panel comprises a hook and loop strip elongated in a substantially horizontal direction across the front panel.
 8. The medical undergarment of claim 6, wherein: the attachment area of the front panel comprises a plurality of hook and loop strips elongated in a substantially horizontal direction across the front panel having a gap between the plurality of hook and loop strips.
 9. The medical undergarment of claim 8, wherein: the gap between the plurality of hook and loop strips is configured to allow for the passage of a drainage tube and/or catheter.
 10. The medical undergarment of claim 5, wherein: the one-piece body further comprises an elastic waistband.
 11. The medical undergarment of claim 10, wherein the one-piece body comprises: a pair of side panels located bilaterally on a portion of the one-piece body including the elastic waistband.
 12. The medical undergarment of claim 10, wherein: there is a least one of the loops located bilaterally on an exterior surface of the one-piece body on the portion of the one-piece body including the elastic waistband. 